Updated Jan 1, 2015

Overview

Located about a 3-minute drive from Toronto's city centre, next to Ryerson University, the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre is geared towards business or vacation travellers who require a centrally located hotel with a free area shuttle, meeting space and on-site dining.

Each of this non-smoking hotel's guest rooms comes equipped with free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a microwave, a mini-fridge, a desk, free remote printing, a free weekday newspaper, an iron and ironing board, a hair dryer and an in-room safe. Rooms with a separate bedroom, two levels, a jetted tub and a seating area with a sofabed are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms. Pets are not permitted.

Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, public transit, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, guest laundry, a convenience store and on-site dining at Great North American Grill (serving breakfast daily) and Casey's Bar & Grill, which serves lunch and dinner daily. Valet-only parking is available for $35 per day.

Dundas Subway Station and the Toronto Eaton Centre are both roughly a 7-minute walk from the hotel, while the Air Canada Centre can be found 4 minutes away by car. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)

The majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's location, staff and rooms.

The hotel's location was praised by many lodgers. They found it to be central as well as close to downtown Toronto, public transit, Ryerson University, the Eaton Centre, the theatre district, shopping, restaurants, St. Lawrence Market, Cabbagetown and Yonge Street. A few patrons had complaints about the hotel's immediate surrounding area, however (see below).

Numerous reviewers were pleased with the level of customer service they received during their stay, characterizing the staff as friendly, helpful, attentive and accommodating. One guest remarked, "We had zero problems at the hotel, but the highlight was the gentleman (Corey) at the front desk. He was so friendly and went above and beyond the call of duty. He was simply a sweetheart".

Several travellers enjoyed their accommodations at the hotel. They described their rooms as clean, well equipped, spacious, quiet and modern, with comfortable beds and reliable Wi-Fi.

While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the parking and surrounding area.

A few guests complained about the hotel's parking. They were disappointed it was valet-only and felt the prices were expensive. Some reviewers did mention cheaper parking across the street from the hotel, however.

Although the majority of lodgers praised the hotel's downtown location, a few guests were disappointed with its surrounding area. They described it as sketchy and "undesirable".

Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.2 out of 5 with a 96% recommendation rate from 604 reviews.

TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #36 of 141 Toronto hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 376 reviews.

Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.1 out of 10 from 150 reviews.

The author called the hotel on March 24, 2014 to verify some information.

Analyzed by Erin H.

Erin loves to travel, and considers it her personal mission to help fellow travellers get the inside scoop, both good and bad, on Canadian Hotels.

Guest Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rated 8.0/10 based on 850 reviews

Ranked #55 out of 143 hotels in Toronto

850

9 out of 10 | Barry stayed July 02, 2014

"hotel is clean and staff are friendly and helpful. hotel has an attached resturant with excellent food. This hotel is in downtown and is not conducive to walking after dark. It is a 10 minute walk to St Michael's hospital"

"There was a rather large spider in the corner on the ceiling above the bed and many dead insects below it. On the lampshades there were dead little black flies stuck to them. I went to the front desk asking someone to kill the spider and clean the bugs while I was gone for the day and to change my room. I came back and it wasn't done. I had to contact the Front Desk a second time for this to be done. That is the major part of my dissatisfaction with the hotel. Other than this, the hotel was sufficient. Not in the best area of the city (I wouldn't walk around there at night alone) though close enough Yonge Street and the major attractions. There is a pretty good restaurant in the hotel which has room service though charges separately from your room bill. Overall, it was ok. I have stayed in better hotels in Toronto for about the same money."

"Because of the location of the hotel, there were many transients in the area. They were asking for money and cigarettes from the patrons of the patio restaurant. The restaurant was scruffy, like the area."

"Yes the young man on the front desk WIlliam went the extra mile for us and was a very good help. He has a good sense of humour and we even enjoyed the check in. I would recommmend this hotel to anyone staying in Toronto.The rates were great and the service even better. Me and my friends will definitely be back! Sue Penwarden"

"Although I called to confirm that I was booking a two-room suite, when we arrived we found out it was only a one-room suite. Luckily they weren't busy and upgraded us to two rooms free of charge. Our room had a minifridge, a microwave and a two element stove top, but it lacked pots and cooking utensils to make use of these amenities. We were surprised that parking cost $19/day, this is expensive! The pool was good, the concierge helpful, the playpen for our one year old a much needed bonus. The complimentary breakfast was extensive and quite good, including sausages and boiled eggs, a variety of cereals and coffee, muffins, toast, english muffins, waffles and some fruit. We were close enough to walk to the places we wanted to see and the restaurant downstairs, Casey's, had good food at good prices. The only real disappointment was that the prices on the website were in American dollars, and the mix-up with which room we were booking. It would have been extremely inconvenient if we were not able to get a two-room suite. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a clean, comfortable place downtown."

"It was alittle crowded for 6 of us. I had searched for a suite for 6, the comfirmation was for 4, and the hotel had us at 2. The sofa sleeper was not in very good shape. We ended up taking the mattress off the frame. The location was convienient."

"The room we stayed in was a disappointment. It was very small with no where to sit except for the bed. As for watching TV, you couldn't. The tv was in a cabinet on a side wall next to the bed. You could hardly see it from the bed. I know we were there to sightsee, but during some down time, watching some tv is always a way to catch up on the world, particularly right before retiring for the night."

"This is not a hotel for everybody in the sense that it does not seem geared toward the wealthy. I enjoyed sharing the breakfast room with many foreigners and families. Furthermore it is not right in an area filled with shops or restaurants but these really are in walking distance. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the bed and the bathroom - these were clean and modern. The hallways were less well kept up and did not seem to be vacuumed daily. Also there is no shuttle to the airport as advertised and the taxi ride is pretty expensive. The gym and swimming pool were clean and uncrowded."

"The hotel did not deserve a three star rating. There was gum smushed into the rug. The sheets and pillows were very rough and uncomfortable. The first night we were there the hotel fire alarm went off three times during the night and the front desk did not respond favorabily. There were also people begging outside of the hotel and eventhough they had guards outside they did not move them away. The hotel was also too far from the main attractions. I would not recommend this hotel at all."

"This place is just a little bit worse for wear. The staff is very friendly and helpful but it is apparent that they spend most of their time wearily covering for the deficiencies and inadequacies of the hotel. It should be renovated or the Comfort chain should drop it. There are much better hotels in Toronto at the same or better rates."

"Casey's restraunt manager told us that we could charge our drinks to the room. We went upstairs to change and came back to Casey's ordered our wine. When it came to pay for our drinks the bartender said NO. When we asked for the manager, he apologized for not knowing. Seems to me that they are attached to your building. I think you should restore your working relationship with this restraunt. Had to go up to the room to retrieve money and come back down to pay. Was slightly embarassing since we brought no $$$ with us just our room card."

"Staff seemed unorganized especially when it came to the parking garage. No control over where anyone parks. Someone knocked on our door at 11:30pm, awakened the whole room to deliver a plate of creamers we didn't ask for. We were charged for a continental breakfast that we didn't have. It was taken off our bill but someone got a free meal by charging it to our room. There needs to be a better system for charging something to your room. The furniture was full of cigarette burns. We chose this hotel because it was rated high in a survey by past guests. I would never stay there again."

"Very happy with our stay at this hotel. We would recommend this hotel to anyone interested in spending a night in Toronto. We were there to celebrate a special occasion and we were given an incredible upgrade in our accommodations! Would certainly stay there again. Thank you to the hotel."